(The following story by Maria Recio appeared on the Forth Worth Star-Telegram website on April 1, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — BNSF Railway’s Matt Rose testified Wednesday before Congress, but not about freight rail issues. The chairman of the Fort Worth-based rail company spoke about the future of high-speed passenger rail at a hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
“As a freight railroad CEO, a member of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, and an early supporter of the One Rail coalition, I’ve had a lot of opportunity to think about what our country’s vision for passenger rail ought to be,” he told lawmakers.
Here are some excerpts from his prepared testimony before the subcommittee, headed by Rep. John Olver, D-Mass.
“It is possible to increase speeds from 79 mph to 90 mph on tracks that both freight and passenger trains use.”
“At sustained speeds in excess of 90 mph, passenger train operations will need to be segregated from freight operations on separate track.”
“It took $4-a-gallon gas to show us that passenger train options are important to providing a fuel-efficient alternative to the highway for millions of Americans.”